#Hideous Gomphidious

[albumarchives]

Hideous Gomphidius | Keepers of the Fungal Order (2021)

[hearthedungeons]

Hideous Gomphidious - Keepers of the Fungal Order

Mushrooms have been a source of curiosity for Dungeon Synth artists for some years. Naturally, the sound is often lo-fi, often noisy, like Hch'xhsh and Giftsvamp, with some hints of a mysticism or magic in the composition. Hideous Gomphidious has, with this release, really upped the game on the menacing potential of the inspiration, delivering with this album an atmosphere that makes my teeth clench and my vision grow cloudy.

Take the swirling imagery of "A Destroying Angel's Horrid Curse", which begins with the slow massing of a bass-heavy drone, and hints of a decaying melody start to emerge at about the halfway point, before the whole track fades away, the swirling become more wild, more unhinged. There's a spontaneity here that makes this experience, which seems to describe slowly dying after consuming a poisonous mushroom, impossible to turn away from - minimal, but evolving. One of the biggest strengths of this album is the sound design, with synths that slowly oscillate, wavering in pitch possibly through means of delay. It gives the impression that you're looking at a melting landscape, unsure of every step - and this impression is solidified by the surrealist cover artwork. The sound world this artist creates is bleak, but it is hard to turn this album off once it gets its hooks in.

Those listeners looking for a pure DS experience may find themselves a little restless here - while there are plenty of melodies, they take their time to emerge - like in the aforementioned "Destroying Angel" or the lengthy "Mycelial Emanations", both of which don't see melodies emerging until nearly two thirds of the way through. But tracks like "Loamlurkers" and "Realm of the Sporelord", in contrast, place the melodic elements front and center, with distinct chord progressions and counter melodies built around the central themes - still entering patiently, but providing a nice contrast to the more ambient or drone-heavy tracks.

And when noisier elements enter in the album's final segment, first appearing halfway through the dire "Ergot's Ritual", and recurring through the final two tracks, it feels like a natural escalation of the album's initial promises. The final three tracks in particular feel like atmospheric or symphonic black metal without blastbeats at times - but still manages to remain distinctly DS, even as the aggression builds. My only complaint is the heavy percussion on the final track, which, only slightly, pulls me away from delicate balance of soothing menace this album sustains throughout. But overall the album is well balanced, full of rich imagery and a well-crafted ; it's one of those life changing bad trips that teaches you while it forces you to confront the depths of your psyche.

[northeastdungeonsiegetv]

Our third announced artist, Hideous Gomphidius, hails from Colorado and recently released its sophomore album "Keepers of the Fungal Order" in January. Thee Horrible Witchtroll sent their debut, "Spore Sorcery", through the mycelium in July of 2020. Utilizing many layers of synthesized drones and spare, ominous percussion, this release led the listener on a dark and damp journey that never strayed far from the forest floor. Hideous Gomphidious released "Keepers of the Fungal Order" in January, to guide the listener back to that hazy, psychedelic realm, where we are invited to explore caverns filled with mysterious, ephemeral emanations, and can only hope that we do not find ourselves at the mercy of the Sporelord. Bandcamp: https://hideousgomphidius.bandcamp.com/

[albumarchives]

Hideous Gomphidius | Spell of the Mycomancer (2021)

[albumarchives]

Hideous Gomphidius | Spore Sorcery (2020)